on Jul 4, 2011
Just a short hop from our Milton Keynes headquarters, Silverstone is our Factory’s home race, and we’ve certainly made ourselves at home here over the past two years.
Mark Webber marked his 150th grand prix by winning in Northamptonshire in 2010, beating team-mate Sebastian Vettel off the line before setting the pace until he crossed the line – Seb batttled back to finish seventh after a first corner collision pushed him to the back of the pack.
In 2009 we were celebrating a Red Bull Racing 1-2, this time Seb taking the chequered flag, followed closely by Mark.
Pre-2009, however, we had never scored a point at Silverstone, Mark coming closest in 2008 with a 10th-place finish. That particular race saw some emotional scenes as David Coulthard chose the weekend to announce his retirement from driving – alas for him and the British fans, he found himself retiring during the very first lap from a race he has won twice – in separate centuries.
This will be the 62nd time Formula One has staged a British Grand Prix, with Silverstone staging its 45th grand prix this year. The race has also been held at Aintree and from 1964 until 1986 Silverstone shared the British round with Brands Hatch.
The circuit had a new, improved layout last year: the new ‘Arena’ section introduced a series of corners after Abbey before rejoining the old track at Brooklands. It lengthened the track to 5.891km and (they say) provides three new overtaking opportunities. The race is 52 laps, a distance of 306.227. Both Jim Clark and Alain Prost have racked up five British GP wins each with Nigel Mansell notching four home wins. Fernando Alonso holds the lap record of 1:30.874, set in 2010.
This year the new pit and paddock will be used for the first time in an F1 race. The ‘Silverstone Wing’ was opened earlier this year, a structure 390 metres long and 30 metres at its highest point, will provide a world-class facility for teams, officials and spectators and includes 41 garages, race control, podium, media centre, hospitality and VIP spectator zones.
Set in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside, Silverstone village isn’t quite Monte Carlo, Barcelona or Montreal. Visiting fans have a number of choices of where to stay, including nearby Northampton, Milton Keynes, beautiful and historic Oxford, Birmingham and, of course, London. Or a tent. We’re not sure how many have a pint in the fabulous country pubs near the circuit, but it’s recommended you do.
Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula one Team (www.redbullracing.com)
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